Camouflage Dragon
by CrimsonLuna
Summary: Will finds a stone on his way to Halt's cabin, and brings it with him. What is in store for him? And soon, Eragon the dragon rider, Saphira the dragon, Arya the elf, and the witch Angela and her cat Solumbum. come to Araluan. Why, find out! Review please
1. Chapter 1: Explosion

_**Chapter 1: Explosion**_

Will paused, turning slightly to take one last look at Castle Redmont. He was leaving his home, and ward-mates, the people he had grown up with. He knew that he'd see them around, at the festivals and such, but it would always be short lived moments.

His pack was half full, only a few clothes and some small keepsakes tucked into the brown leather sack. Sighing slightly and giving the three towers a last wistful look, he turned and started again, heading for his new home.

Halt the Ranger, in a rather unusual turn of events, had chosen him, Will No-Name, for his apprentice. He wasn't sure how he should feel. Sure, he didn't have to work as a farmhand, but at the same time he didn't achieve his dream of battle-school. Add to the fact that Halt was a legend, one of the scary but most known Rangers, and Will was understandably a bit out of sorts over the whole deal.

'I'm doomed...' He thought miserably, scuffing his shoes on the dirt of the road, eyes fixed to the patch of ground directly in front of him. Thus it was a surprise when a loud explosion shook the ground, disorienting him and shocking him into dropping his pack.

He stared, eyes wide, at the amount of smoke coming from the woods. A little ways in, he found the explosion site. The wreck in front of him was astonishing.

The blast, caused by something powerful, had stripped the trees of their leaves, a few of the branches smoking slightly at their tips. The ground was ripped up, dirt flung in a wide circle, the center of which was hidden by a cloud of steam that spiraled lazily into the sky.

Cautiously, Will, scooted forward, peering around in case anything was lurking nearby. Sensing nothing, he edged closer, leaning over slightly to look over the lip of the crater.

He blinked, for there, sitting in the center of the blast radius, was a huge stone.

It was beautiful, a little longer than his arm and three times as thick. Steam curled around it, little tendrils caressing the smooth surface before disappearing. Curiosity getting the better of him, Will slid down the short pile of dirt and stopped next to it, crouching to get a better look.

It appeared as smooth as the finest glass, shiny and polished despite the mess around it. The color was odd, a strange mixture of green, gray and brown that seemed familiar to him, though he couldn't recall where he had seen it before. Silvery-gray veins traced a spider web across the entire surface, meshing with the background color and making the stone itself seem alien in appearance. Tilting his head a little, Will reached forward and poked the stone with a wary finger, already expecting to burn his fingertip.

'Well that's odd...' He blinked, frowning slightly and poking it again, as if to be sure he wasn't imagining things. As he had expected, it was smooth, but what he had not expected was the stone to be cool, like any typical river stone, not burning hot like he would have expected. Sitting back, he thought, staring past the burnt trees as if they weren't there, his gaze focused on nothing and everything.

'I should probably bring this to Halt. Who knows what it could be...' He mused quietly. Though he was wary of the elder Ranger, he was smart enough to know that with something as odd as the stone and its sudden appearance, it should be brought to attention.

Carefully, and still marveling at how cool it was to the touch, he picked up the stone and headed back to his pack. Rearranging a few things, he slid it in, cushioning it with a few of his shirts before tying the pack closed again. Then, still musing about the experience, he started towards the small hut settled in the distance.

* * *

Will fidgeted slightly, standing in front of Halt and waiting to be recognized. After a few minutes silence, the older man finally looked up, a single eyebrow raised in question.

"I'm finished." He ducked his head a little, feeling a bit inadequate under that piercing gray gaze. Halt's eyes roved around the small cabin, taking in the swept floors, clean carpet, fresh firewood, and gleaming pots. He knew that the water outside was full, having checked it earlier that day. Finally, he shrugged a little, going back to his letters.

"Good." Halt acknowledged, flipping over an official looking form. Will almost jumped with joy, then waited, suspicious. "But don't get too excited. You'll have to do it all again tomorrow." Sighing, Will nodded, faintly proud of himself for figuring that there was more to the initial statement and proud of his work. Sitting in a chair, he swung his feet, watching them idly and humming a tuneless little number in his head. After a few moment's silence, Halt spoke again, startling him a little.

"Do you know how to cook?"

"Um... Well no, Sir-" Will stuttered, surprised by the odd question.

"Of course you don't! And that means I'll have to show you how."

Will followed behind Halt as the older man led him to the small stove nearby. Once there he was told to fill one of the pots with water. Once done, Halt set him to dicing herbs, and chopping vegetables while Halt cut meat into strips and added various spices, all the while explaining how and when to add things, how much to add, and various other details needed for moving about the kitchen efficiently.

They waited outside on the veranda while the food cooked over the stove. As Halt read over more reports, Will sat on the edge of the porch, staring up at the clouds and thinking over his day. He blinked, realizing that he had forgotten to tell Halt about the odd stone, and turned a little to look at the silent man.

"Um... Halt?" Halt's eyes flickered over for a second, his head tilting in a way that let Will know the man was listening. "Could I go get something from my pack?"

Halt simply nodded, turning his focus back to a document from the Baron. Will scrambled up, walking quickly into the small room that was now his. It was plain, just a bed, side-table, and wardrobe for clothes. His pack was still lying on the bed, waiting for him to unpack and put things away, and he pulled it open, shifting the clothes to reveal the stone in all its mossy colored glory. Slipping it out of the bag, he put his clothes back before cradling it carefully and made his way back to Halt.

"Halt?" He started quietly. Halt looked up, gray eyes narrowed a little in annoyance.

"What is it?" He asked gruffly. Will shifted a little, tightening his grip on the stone.

"Well, I found this stone..."

"A stone?" Halt interrupted. 'Why is the boy trying to show me stone?' He thought, bewildered... "What is so important about this stone that you must show it to me right now?"

"Well, you see, I think it is something that you should know about.'" Will murmured back, ducking his head a little. Halt rolled his eyes, and eyed the admittedly odd looking stone, curious despite himself. "You see, while I was walking here, there was an explosion. It was close by so I went to see what had happened. This stone," Here, he held up said artifact, the light of a nearby candle glinting off the silver veins. "was lying in the center of a small crater. When nothing else happened for a while, I picked it up and brought it here to see if you knew anything about it."

Halt nodded, one finger tapping his chin thoughtfully. Finally he held out a hand, taking the stone gently when Will handed it over. While he inspected it, he questioned Will.

" I thought I'd heard something, but I wrote it off as one of Master Chubb's new apprentices getting something wrong- it happens more often than not… Do you remember where this place is?"

"Yes. Do you want me to take you there?"

"As soon as we've eaten, yes. The sooner I can take a look, the better. How far is it?"

"It's not too far, only a half hour's walk from here."

"Good. I'm glad you told me." Will smiled a little, proud of himself. "But, next time, if there is an explosion, come and get me before going in by yourself. You can never tell what caused it, or if it will happen again."

"Yes, sir." Will nodded, feeling slightly put down, but seeing the wisdom in the words, and took the stone back, returning to his room to tuck it away in his wardrobe.


	2. Chap 2: Chirping

_**Chap 2: Chirping**_

Halt and Will went to the explosion site after dinner, just as Halt said, and he was indeed surprised to find the condition of it.

The trees, grass, and anything else that could burn had been burned away. And the ground was deeper, giving it a small, shallow crater. The dirt was making a rippling look, starting from the middle, were the stone must have been.

There was no question that the stone, in some way, had something to do with it. It wasn't an ordinary one after all. But what was so important about it? Why would it cause such a thing to happen? He was very intrigued by this new mystery.

"So? What can you get out of this?" Will asked.

"Nothing really. Only that the stone has some significance." Halt replied, still looking around for marks other than burns. "I don't see any human prints other than yours, leading in and out of the mess, and a couple of deer's. But nothing more."

Halt then checked further in the woods to see if he could find any tracks that- if there were humans that set this up- did not get blown away by the explosion. He checked all around the place and found nothing but animal tracks and his and Will's own tracks. His curiosity spiked more.

But he could not finish his looking around, because the sun was setting, and it was getting too dark to see anything, especially with the new moon. So they went back to the cabin.

"So... um... What did you think of it?" Will asked as they entered.

"I thought it was a very odd thing, very odd indeed." Halt said, "I am glad you told me, but we shall keep it to ourselves for now. I don't want to disturb Baron Arnold if it turns out to be something trivial. We'll find out more about it, and if it is a matter of importance, then we will tell him. That is, if he doesn't come to us on his own."

"Okay." Will replied.

"Now, you need to go to bed. You've got work tomorrow."

* * *

The next day, Will and Halt went to a small clearing.

"What are we doing?" Will asked.

"You are learning to uas weapons today." Halt said, instantly making Will angst.

"First," Halt said, as he took something out of a container like thing, "You will learn to use the bow."

Will looked at the wood and string weapon with disappointment. Bows were more of a tool. Everyone had one for hunting. Will even remembered making one himself when he was younger.

Halt, seeing the look on Will face, said, "Look closely at it. There is a big difference between the bows your use to seeing and this one."

Will did as Halt said, and found that it was different. There were thin strips of wood bent and glued together, not just one big stick bent with a string to hold it. There was more though; instead of the normal, plain curve of a hunting bow, this one's tips curved in the opposite direction.

"It's called a re-curve bow." Halt said, "All rangers use them."

"Could I shoot it?" Will asked, now seeming more intrigued by the weapon.

Halt made a gesture with his hand, "If you think it's a good idea, go ahead."

Will didn't hesitate. He picked one of the arrows out of the quiver and strong it. He pulled the string back, found a target and shot. And a pain shot from the inside of his elbow. Will looked at it, pain, shock, and astonishment in his eyes.

"That hurt!" He said as the spot grew redder and swelled slightly.

"And that is why you should not rush into things!" Halt said. He looked in his pack that he brought. Finally he pulled out something that seemed to be made of leather.

"What's that?" Will asked.

"This is an arm guard. It keeps the string from slapping your arm on release." Halt slipped the arm guard on to Will's elbow. Its hurt a bit due to the sour area, but Will could deal.

"Try it now." Halt said.

Will, uncertainly, did so.

"No, not like that," Halt said, pointing at the way Will had the arrow strung. "like this," He showed will with his own bow how to knock an arrow. There was a small groove at the end of the arrow were the string could snap in. He repeated the ranger's example in knocking the arrow. He then pulled back the string. "Use your back musicals, not your arms, and use the index and middle fingers to grip the end of the arrow. Pull it to the corner of your mouth, then fire." Will nodded his understanding. He did as he was told, finding it surprisingly easier. He then let the arrow go. It just missed its intended mark by a foot.

"With practice you'll get better. And when you are going to shoot, be calculating were your mark is, and the elevation and angle you'll need to hit it, while knocking and drawing." Halt said. Will nodded again.

"Now. Here is your other weapons." Halt handed Will two knifes that were both in the same later sheath.

After Halt showed Will his weapons, Will was to practice using them for the rest of the day. By sunset, Halt told him to stop. He hadn't improved much, but at the same time, had improved much more then Halt thought he would. He was a quick learner, that was for sure.

When they got back to the cabin, Will immediately got to work on their dinner.

* * *

Will walked to his bedroom, feeling worn out from his work of that day. It had been a week since he became Halt's apprentice, and he found the only fun part was his weapons training, and other skills he need to be a ranger.

Will looked at his bed, and flopped down onto it gratefully. He sat there, eyes closed, listening to the sounds around him. Out in the living room, Halt was leafing through paper, with the fire crackling. Outside, the creatures of the night stirred and moved about. And in his room, he heard a chirp.

His eyebrows scrunched in confusion. 'Is there a bird in my room?' he thought. He sat up and looked around. Then there was the sound of something breaking. Not glass, though. He couldn't explain what it sounded like braking. But he did know where it had come from. It had come in the direction of the wardrobe.

He walked over to it and opened the door. All he saw was his cloths. He looked further in, and then started at the thin broken pieces of the stone he had found.

**AN: Sorry for the short chaps. I can't say if they'll be short all the time or will switch now and then...**


	3. Chap 3: Fairy Tail Creature

_**Chap 3: Fairy Tail Creature**_

Will looked at the broken pieces of the stone.

'How is that possible?' Will thought to himself.

When Halt had looked at it, he tested its hardness, taking a crystal's point to it; there was no scratch. He then took a small hammer to it. Nothing happened. He took a bigger hammer to it, and still not a crack or scratch!

But now, the thing was in pieces! And the pieces were only a half centimeter thick!

He herd the chirp from before. It was somewhere in the wardrobe.

He looked around the bottom of it and found nothing, then looked around in the cloths.

Nothing.

He went to pick up the pieces of stone, and when he bent, there was a sudden weight on his back. And it was moving around, seeming to be on four legs, and having small talons.

His first thought was that it was a cat that got into his room, but then it chirped again, and it was a sound no cat that he knew of could make.

He turned his head slowly, afraid that if he moved too quickly, the creature would run away, and afraid that it may harm him. When he was able to move his head no more, he saw it. On his back was something he thought to be in fairy tails only.

The dragon was green, with brown and gray splotches, almost the same as his new rangers cloak. It had big webbed wings that, when stretched at full length, would probably be about three feet. He could not see the length of the body, for it was on his back and was hard to estimate. It's head swerved to face him, having felt the movement of his head turning. It had small dark green horns and little spikes around its jaws and under its chin, and had great hazel eyes, with a tad bit of gray and gold flakes, and shined with intelligence.

The dragon looked at him now, with curiosity in its intelligent eyes. And he started back in amazement. For what seemed like ten minutes they looked at each other never blinking, then Will blinked and the Dragon jumped off and on to his bed. It then sat on the bed like a dog would when waiting for its master. Will looked at it more. Now that it was off his back, he could see it was about two feet long, from head to tail.

He walked over to it slowly, his hand stretched out a bit. The dragon sniffed his hand when he got close enough. It then nussled up against the it like a cat; it even purred in its own way.

He was beginning to think he wasn't that far off from thinking it to be a cat, and chuckled at the thought. The chuckle was killed though, once its forehead hit the center of his palm. There was a flash of light and Will blacked out as a cold and hot pain went through his palm.

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

Eragon looked at the witch in amazement. 'Was what she saying true? There was another dragon rider! If they could find them, they may have more hope of winning!'

Angela had said he was a boy of about 15. They could not tell if the boy was good or bad, but Angela said he seemed good.

"How will we find them?" Eragon asked.

"You could try using your extended site." Arya said.

"Yes, that might work well!" Angela exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" Eragon asked uncertainly.

"Eragon, you must stop criticizing yourself! Your extended sight is very good, and is our best chance of finding them." Saphira encouraged her rider.

"But it will take some time. Your site can't reach all over Aligasia, so we'll have to move here and there to see all over." Angela said.

"How will I know when I find them?"

"You'll feel a dragon, of course. It not a very hard creature to feel. Their far more intelligent then any other creature." Angela replied again- Saphira got a smug and satisfied look in her eyes, and even appeared to be smirking.

"Right. So when do we start?" Saphira asked.

"Might as well start in the morning." Arya answered, "Its too late right now, and you'll pass out with the st-" She cut off, and held her chest. Eragon and Saphira did the same. At that moment they had felt... something.

"The boy has made contact with the dragon." Arya said. Eragon remembered when he and Saphira had made contact wth each other, giving Eragon his giliwig insignia, the mark of a rider, on his palm. There was now officially a new Dragon Rider.

**AN: Sorry for yet another short chap. Just thought should end there...**

**Oh, and if you'll notice, I put the ~~~~O~X~O~~~~ as a means to show the difference between R.A. and I.C. POV's.**


	4. Chap 4: Where is It?

_**Chap. 4: Where is It?**_

"A... dragon?" Halt asked, looking at Will as if he had just said he'd seen a creature of myth only, which, in this case was the same thing. "Maybe you were dreaming. Dragons don't exist."

"No! It was there! I saw it this morning when you woke me. It was curled up next to me. That's what I had been looking at!" Will said, trying to make the ranger believe him. He had a feeling that if he didn't tell Halt, he'd be in trouble; and he had the feeling that being in trouble with a ranger was NOT a good thing, and that being in trouble with Halt the Ranger was just an entirely different level of bad.

"Well, let's see this 'dragon'." Halt said doubtfully. They walked over to Will's room, and opened the door.

There was nothing on the bed but the blankets and pillows. "Where is it? I don't see any dragon."

"It was there! I swear it!"

"I think you were just imagining it from sleepiness." Halt said.

"But..."

"No 'butts' or you won't have one." Halt said, "Now, get cleaned up. We're going to the village. We need more food."

"Yes, sir." Will said, still looking at the spot where the dragon had been.

The second Halt closed the door, Will ran to his bed, ripping the blanket off and looked for the dragon. Nothing. He looked in the wardrobe. Nothing. He looked every were, and found nothing! When he gave up the search, he slumped on to the bed, holding his head in exasperation. 'I know I had seen it!' he thought to himself.

Then remembering the mark on his palm, he looked.

It was there! Same as before. He touched it and it glowed slightly. And then he felt something tug at his pant leg. He looked down and saw the dragon, looking at him with its intelligent eyes.

"There you are!" Will said, scooping the creature up. It licked his hand and smiled. "I've got to show you to Halt!" He whispered. The dragon immediately jumped out of his hands and ran under the bed. Will got down on his knees and looked at the dragon. He saw worry in the eyes. They seemed to say, "Don't show me to him!"

"Are you afraid of him?" Will asked. He could understand if it was. Not expecting the dragon to shake its head in confirmation, Will was taken aback. He though it through, and decided if the dragon didn't want to be shown, then he should not force it. It could end up hurting both Halt and him, and maybe even itself.

"Alright. I'll keep you secret. Halt doesn't believe me anyway, so it should make it easier." Will said. The dragon perked up almost immediately. It jumped up into Will arms and nestled his neck like a cat.

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

"It's been a week and we haven't found anyone! We've traveled half of Aligaisa and still nothing. And the only half we haven't gone on is the Hadrick Desert, and Angela said that he was in no desert; she could see a window and what was out of it, and…. Ugh!" Eragon was frustrated that they could not find the new dragon rider.

"Calm down, Eragon!" Saphira said, looking him in the eye. "You need to stay calm or we'll never find him."

"She is right, Eragon," Arya said, "If you don't stay calm, you'll have less chance of finding the rider. Not to mention that you'll send thoughts to Galbitorics without realizing it. And that's the last thing we need."

"Huh… Your right. Sorry." Eragon apologized, "It's just… frustrating, you know. I'm excited that I get to meet another rider, and help him train, that we might have another alley in the war. But… I just can detect him!"

_"I suppose it is time I should help." _A voice said. They group all looked around, confused.

"I know that voice." Eragon muttered.

_"Yes, me too."_ Saphira agreed.

_"Huh, I'm right in here!"_ Said the voice again, _"You do remember right? I'm Glaedr…"_

"Glaedr!" Eragon exclaimed. He looked at his pack on Saphira's back. It held Glaedr's Heart of Hearts.

He hadn't spoken once since they had discovered the death of the Morning Sage, his rider, and the one who taught Eragon in his dragon rider training.

_"Yes. I wasn't going to stay silent forever."_ Glaedr said, _"And now is the time you need me. I do apologize for my behavior lately."_

_"No, you had every right to do what you did."_ Eragon said.

_"But we are in a time of war. You need me, and I have been silent."_ Glaedr seemed persistent on apologizing.

_"I won't forgive you."_ Eragon said,_ "Because there is nothing to be sorry for. If anything, it is I who should be apologizing to you. I tried to get you to talk when you were hurt."_

_"Sorry…"_

_"Stop! You don't need to say sorry."_

_"But… I feel ashamed for not helping you."_

_"Help us now then."_ Saphira said.

_"Right. Thank you Saphira."_ Glaedr said, and then seemed to gather himself, if that were possible. _"As you know there is a new hatchling, and it has a rider. I do not know where it is, but I do know it is not in Aligaisa."_

"What?"


	5. Chap 5: The Talk

_**Chap. 5: The Talk**_

Keeping the dragon a secret was easier then Will thought it would be. He taught it how to be stealth- or at least it watched him and got the idea. It also learned how to blend in to its environment. This was made easy for it with the color of its scales. With it being similar to the colors and patterns on Will's ranger's cloak, it could blend just as good, if not more, then Halt could.

It was almost as if the dragon where meant to be his. He had had it for a month now, and even with it growing bigger, Halt noticed nothing, or at least he didn't show it. Halt had also given up on the chase for what had caused the explosion- well, not completely. Will still found him pondering on it when the ranger wasn't doing anything else, but as far as things went, he didn't look any further into it.

Will also discovered that there was something tugging at his concisions. He had a feeling it had to do with the dragon, in some way. He was thinking about it now, still wondering what it could be, when Halt came to his door.

"I'm going to the castle." He said, "Baron Arnold is having a meeting with the craft masters that had received apprentices from the placing."

"What is it about?" Will asked.

"He wants to know how you all are faring in your training in the craft."

"Why don't the apprentices get to go?"

Halt almost smirked, but he stopped himself. "Because, if the craft master had something good to say, they don't want the apprentice getting full of themselves, and if it is bad news, we don't know how it can affect them sometimes. It could improve their skill, or make them mope around. It is possible, good report or bad report, it could have a bad effect on them."

"Ah… Is there anything you would like me to do while you're away?"

"You can have the day off. If I'm not here you may slack off anyway, so why both making you do anything?"

Will smiled, glad for the change. "Is there a limit to where I can go? I've been wanting to look around the forest more. Get to know it better, you know?"

"That will be fine, as long as you get back before dark."

"Okay."

"Good, now, I should be back around dusk." Halt said, turning and leaving.

Will waited until the ranger was far away, and gathered up his bow and knifes. He then headed out to the clearing.

He drew the string of his bow back with no arrow, then released it.

**Thoom!** it sounded dully.

Twenty seconds later, he heard the almost silent beat of wings. Another three seconds went by and then the dragon came clear of the tree tops. It flew over to him and landed gracefully. Will scratched its chin, then, nodding in the direction of the woods, said, "Let's go look around."

The dragon was the size of a large dog now and could carry Will on its back like a horse. They had not tried flying. Will thought he may be too heavy for it. But the dragon could at least carry him while walking. He sat in a small but comfortable spot in between its shoulder blades, were the spikes along its back were absent.

Will had also named it. He had found that its vocabulary was as complete as his was. This was how he came upon the realization that the dragon was a she. Upon this realization, he decided it was time to name her. After long hours thinking about it, he came up with a perfect name that he felt suited her well.

Willow.

Graceful, and wise, and her coloring reminded him of the colors of willow trees. She also appeared to love the water- when he would be cleaning the pots and pans in the creek, she would be swimming and splashing around, chirping in delight. She was silent too, as willow tree are, even on a windy day.

When he proposed the name to her, she agreed by giving a chirp of joy and gave him a lick on the cheek.

As they went through the woods, Will remembered the thing that seemed to tug at his mind. He looked at his dragon with frustrated curiosity.

"I just know this has to do with you. If only you could talk to me, then I could see if you know what it is."

Just then, the tugging stopped and a voice entered his thoughts.

_"It is me. I've been trying to talk to you, but your mind is always blocked."_ It said. It sounded feminine.

Will looked around, freighted.

_"Look at your mount! It's me. Willow. I'm talking to you."_

"Your… You can talk?" Will asked astonished.

_"Well, only through thoughts. I cannot make words come out of my mouth."_

"So that's what the thing was? Why didn't-"

_"Because,"_ the dragon interrupted, _"Your mind has been blocking me. When you wanted to talk to me, that made a door for me to enter your mind."_

"Oh… Sorry about blocking you…" Will said, still trying to absorb all of what was happening.

They went on in silence, not sure what to say. Then the dragon broke it.

_"So, are you ever going to introduce me to Halt."_

Will had told her all about Halt.

"I thought you didn't like him, or at least you were afraid of him." Will said, "Remember?"

_"Yes, I remember. But I was little back then, and unable to protect myself very well. All I could do was hide. But now, I can protect myself, and I feel it's is time Halt knew about me."_

"Are you sure?" Will asked.

_"Yes, Will. I am very sure. If you keep me secret any more, Halt will find out about me by himself, and then he'll be mad at you. I wish not for this to happen."_

"Okay. When would you like to meet him."

_"Tonight."_

Will looked at his dragon in surprise.

_"I've already prepared myself for the meeting."_

"Alright, alright."

_"Good. Let's get something to eat, I'm hungry."_

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

_"Not in Aligaisa?"_ Arya asked.

_"Yes, it is not in Aligaisa."_ Glaedr replied.

_"How is it you know?"_ Eragon asked.

_"Eragon, Saphira, and you as well Arya; I am sorry, but my master and I were keeping another secret from you."_ Glaedr said, _"A long time ago, I met a dragon. Her name was Gwyneth. She was wild, but she was wise. And we fell in love. I mated with her, and we had an egg. Master let me leave every now and then to see her and the egg._

_"One day, when I was off to see her, I saw one of Galbitorixes men and dragon standing over her dying body. I was filled with rage and went at the man, but his dragon got in the way. I took it down easily- is was rather young, really. But by time I had finished it off, the man had run off. I wanted to look for him, and crush every bone in his body, but I had to check on Gwyneth. She was just barely alive when I got to her._

_"When I did get to her, she grabbed me by the leg and looked me sternly in the eyes. She told me the egg was safe, that she had hidden it. After telling me where to find it, she told me to bring it with me and protect it. I found it and brought it home to my master. He made a special hiding spot for it, and placed a charm on it that would send it to its rightful rider when the time was right._

_I would have been able to sense if it were in Aligaisa, for it is I my hatchling. I can only faintly feel it, and I don't have enough power to detect its exact position."_

_"So if we all helped you, would you be able to find it?"_ Arya asked.

_"Yes. If you all lend me your power, I will be able to find the egg and its rider."_

_"Then we will lend you as much as much as we can."_ Saphira said.

**AN: Yay! I finally have Microsoft Word! This means my spelling should be much better.**

**I hope you liked the chap. I wasn't sure if I had it going to fast or not.**

**What did you think of my little story of Glaedr? I thought it'd be a cool little twist. Please review and tell me how you felt about it! And if you found mess ups, then please tell me, and I'll either thank you, or explain that I put that there for a reason.**


	6. Chap 6: Halt, meet Willow

_**Chap. 6: Halt, meet Willow**_

Will paced around, then sat down, and then paced around some more. He continued this over and over.

Finally, Willow had had enough, and burst out, _"Will! Calm down. You're making me nervous. It's me that should be pacing, not you. You're making all my preparing for this moment go to waste."_

Will looked at her in sock, "Sorry... I'm just nervous. What if he's going to be mad at me?"

_"Don't worry. I'm here to protect you. And it's not you he'd be trying to hurt, it'd be me."_

_"I know... it's just... hard. I've been keeping you secret for so long, and then..." _Will let the sentence hang.

_"Well, I'm sorry I made you wait so long. I had to prepare myself, and then you wouldn't let me in your mind so I could tell you."_

"Yeah... sorry about that." Will said, looking up at her and smiled.

They sat in silence for a while, then they heard the sound of footsteps coming.

"It's a bit early for Halt to be back. I guess they let him go early." Will got up and went to get the door.

"Halt?" Will said, upon opening the door, "I think we need to tal- OOPH!" Will was suddenly kicked in his chest, and was sent back flying.

He faintly herd Willow's growling hiss.

"Well, well, well. Seems our boss was right. It is just the little pipsqueak here." Said a man. Will looked and saw that he was a bandit. He had on cloths that looked like they could have been nice at a time, but were now worn and ripped in places.

Will got up, trying hard not to look afraid. "What do you want, there is nothing of value here."

"Oh! It looks like the runt wants to play the hero who saves the day. How cute…" He laughed, and Will heard laugher from outside too. "Now, about what we want. There is something of value. You see, our boss saw you carrying a very nice looking stone and thought it could fetch a fair price. Give us the stone willingly, and we'll only take you captive. If we have to take it by force, then you die and slow painful death."

In the back of his mind, Will felt amused. They wanted the stone? Well... who was he to decline their offer.

"Fine." Will said. The men- the first and now the ones from outside who had come to the door now- looked at Will suspiciously. "Willow! I have some men that want to see you."

Then, through the bond, Will said, "Don't hurt them. Just keep them from hurting me and getting away. I'm going to tie them up, so that we can question them, and find out where the rest of their party is."

"Okay." She said back.

A second later, while the men were questioning who he was talking to, as they were certain he was alone, Willow walked out of Will's room, and growled.

"AH!" The men yelled at the site of her. They tried to make a break for the door, but Willow, being much faster and swifter then their stumbling, blocked their way with little more than a jump and glide.

"Well, here's the 'stone'. Or at least what was in it." Will said, managing to keep his voice level. Even though Willow was there, he was still freaked. This was his first encounter with bandits. And he had thought he'd have Halt there to help him. Though, not to offend the ranger, perhaps a Dragon- small as she may be- was better than a human?

"Do you still want it? No? Well... either way, I want you to stay still, and I'm going to tie you up. You try anything, and you take it up with Willow here. Got it?"

The men nodded, looking more afraid then Will felt.

Will went to get some rope, and started tying the men. Once he got to the last one, the man decided to use the element of surprise. He kicked at Will, and managed to dodge Willow's attack. He ran out the door, and kept running. Willow jumped out the door and flew after him. After deciding the other men where secure, Will went after the him too.

The man had managed to get at least a half mile away before Willow got in his path. He stopped and yelled out for help. He then saw Will coming from the corner of his eye and turned to face him. But his reaction time was slow, and Will was able to tackle him to the ground. But that was all Will was able to do. The man was much stronger, and Will weighed very little, so the man was able to role Will off of him. But then, Willow came up and laid a paw on his chest and put enough pressure to keep him down, but not to cut him with her talons.

By then, there seemed to be more men coming at them. It looked like they had back up in case something went wrong, like maybe Halt had been there. Well, they didn't expect it to be a dragon there, instead of Halt. They took one look at her and decided their comrade wasn't worth the trouble. Will felt sickened by how they would leave their comrade like that, at the mercy of their enemy. Will walked over to the man under Willow, and took a rock and knocked him out with it. He then looked at Willow.

"Mind helping me bring those guys back in?"

Without a word, Willow took off, and Will ran after her. She flew in front and repeated her move of blocking their path. And Will brought up the rear.

"You know.' Will thought to Willow, "It's not the smartest thing to try and out run something that can fly. Not to mention, mess with the rangers. You'd have higher chances at winning a game of dice with an opponent that has loaded dice."

Willow chuckled and then advanced on her captives, making them back up. Then the men noticed Will charging.

Will got ready for a fight, and sure enough, the men didn't want to go without one. They ran at Will. Will just barely managed to dodge the attacks. He really didn't know what he was doing, but whenever he saw the chance, he'd strike out.

_"Will! Behind you!"_ Willow called out.

Will turned around just in time to see one of the bandits about to thrust a knife through him. Will put up his hands in a useless defiance. He faintly heard a dull THOM and then the sound of something penetrating skin at a high speed. The man fell with a surprised look on his face. And there, about a mile away, was Halt.

He looked a just a bit mad.

"Will!" He said when he got up to him. "What in blazes is going on here?"

"Um... I think we'd better take are of these guys first." Will said, still shaken from his near death, and even more so now that he was under the penetrating gaze of Halt- he was contemplating whether it would have been better to have died just then.

Halt looked at the scene and nodded reluctantly. Will had noticed that Halt's eyes had widened when he saw Willow.

'Oh boy...' Will thought to himself. 'I hope he can tell she's trying to help us...'

Then Will went back into the fight.

They managed to get four of them knocked out, and the rest died by Halt's arrow. They tied the unconscious ones up and dragged them back to the cabin. When Halt saw the captives in the cabin, his eye brows raised.

They set the new captives with the others and then Halt turned to Will.

"Alright. Now. Tell me what happened." Halt said.

"Um well... I was waiting for you and then I heard someone coming. I thought it was you, so I opened to door, and that man-" Will pointed to the first man of the whole mess-" kicked me. He wanted the stone I found. I got Willow to keep them here, while I tied them up. The last guy I tried to tie up pulled one on me, and got past Willow. He managed to get out and call his back up. So, Willow and I couldn't just stand by, so we fought them. And that's about where you came in."

"Humm..." Halt looked at Willow, looking suspicious and in awe.

"Um... so, I was thinking we should question them...?"

Halt looked back at Will, "For what?"

"Well. He said, he had a boss, and I don't think he was with the backup. And there might be more of them. I was thinking it was a good chance to get them while their around."

Halt seemed to consider this. "Yes. Very good."

Halt then looked at the men, and grabbed the first one he saw. "Alright, where is your boss, and are there others?"

Surprisingly, it only took ten seconds for them to figure out where to find the boss, and how many where with him. The guy had took one look at Willow, and blurted out the answer.

Halt then told Will to wait there and watch over the men. He was going to get reinforcements, and send someone to take the ones there to the castle dungeons.

Two hours later, all the men were taken to the castle, and Halt had returned, triumphant but tired.

He sat down next to the fire with a sigh. After a minute, he looked at Will.

"Huh... Now. Now that that's over with, care to explain your... friend?" Halt said, indicating Willow, who was waking up from a nap, and- if a dragon could- looked sheepish.

"Uh... yeah. Her... Well, you see, she's the dragon I was trying to show you. It turned out she didn't want to meet you, because she was afraid you'd hurt her, out of fear. So, I... uh... hid her for a while. I only just found out today that she wanted to meet you. She didn't before because she was afraid of you, and that if you did try to hurt her, she'd be defenseless. But she told me that now, she was ready to meet you."

Halt raised his eye brow, "She… told you? She can talk?"

"Well... sorta... she can talk to me in my mind."

"Uh hum..."

"You're not... mad at me are you?"

Halt looked at Will. It was clear the boy hadn't been meaning any harm. "No... not really. I'm mad that you kept this from me, but at the same time, I guess I wouldn't have believed you anyway- not unless I could have seen her, that is, which it happened that she wouldn't allow that apparently. So I can't be too mad." Halt looked back at Willow, "And she's good?"

"Yes! She's very intelligent too. Her vocabulary is the same as ours. She also knows how to move without being seen or heard, having just watched us practice it. It helps that her scales are the color they are. It's weird... it's almost like she were meant to be with me..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well... it's hard to explain. It's like there's a bond between us. And... well, when I first touched her, I got this…" Will unwrapped a cloth he had around his palm- having been hiding the mark. Halt looked at it in what Will could have sworn was shock. He grabbed the palm and looked at it closely.

"How long have you had this?"

"A while now. It healed up pretty fast."

"Huh... Damn." Halt said.

"What is it?"

"I just don't know what to do. If I should tell Arnold or not. They'll find out at some point for sure."

_"Go ahead and tell him the baron can see me."_ Willow said, speaking up for the first time since the conversation had begun.

"Willow said that Baron Arnold can see her." Will said.

"Is she so sure about that? The man goes bore hunting for fun."

Willow snorted smugly,_ "Comparing me to a bore now are we? I eat them for breakfast!"_ She said in my mind. Will smirked at her comment.

"What did she say?" Halt said, having been slightly surprised at her snort.

"She says that comparing her to a bore is an insult, as she eats them for breakfast. Don't worry. She'll be fine. If she can meet you without blinking, Baron Arnold will be easy."

"Uhm..." Was his only replay. Then "Fine. I'll let her decide when it is, but it better be soon. For now though, it's getting late, and I'm tired."

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

Eragon was exited. They had found were the new rider was. They were on a completely different land then Aligaisa.

Over seas.

At first, Eragon was hesitant. He had been told by Angela that one day he would go overseas and never return. Luckily, she had decided to come along with them when they had to pass through the area she had been staying in. She agreed to tell his fortune, to see if he would come back, and to his pleasure, he would be coming back.

The group consisted of Arya, Angela, Solumbum- Angela's were-cat friend- Glaedr- sorta- and of course, Saphira and him. Roran would have come, but his wife was about have her baby any day now, and he didn't want to be away for it.

So now they were off to find the Rider.

Eragon could only hope that Angela's judgment on him was right, that he was a good person.

**AN: So now their off to find the Rider, the wonderful Rider of Willow!~**

**Oh my god! Guys, I'm sooooo sorry! I kind of got writers block, then I got too busy to get back to work on it, and then- right when I'm ready to write the next chap- my compy screws up. Turned out it had 364 viruses on it! Oh, joy... So, I had to get that fixed, and now I have it back and I've finally up dated. I hope you like it. I just got my compy working today, so I've been working on this all day. R&R please! I want to know what you thought!**


	7. Chap 7: The Arrival

_**Chap. 7: The Arrival**_

"Good... But you need to throw harder." Halt said. Will had been practicing throwing knives for a whole day, and he was getting tired. But Halt just said it was just sore muscles, and that they'd harden with long hours of practice. So he gave up on complaining, and was now trying his hardest to make Halt's approval. But, even though he had the stance right, he wasn't getting everything right.

He was just about to throw another- after having retrieved his knives- when Halt called out, "Stop. We've got company."

"What?" Will turned to see Baron Arnold coming up, with three knights flanking him.

"Halt. Nice to see you. Though, I'm still curious as to why you wanted to see me." Arnold said.

"It's a pleasure to see you too, Arnold." Halt said, nodding to the Baron as the man got off his horse. "As for why I wished for you to come here today, I believe there is something that you should know about."

"Is this about the bandits? Have you found more of them?" They had managed to get the main party, but there had been some more bandits that were scattered and had went into hiding.

"Well, no, but it was a helpful factor in catching the bandits."

"Oh come now, Halt, out with it. It isn't like you to just prattle on. If it is something important, tell me, in that blunt way you always do."

Halt looked at Will, who nodded his understanding.

_"Come and meet the Baron, Willow."_ He called to her.

Five seconds later, Willow came over the tree tops, gracefully- and silently- landing.

"Do you know of Dragons, Arnold?" Halt said, unable to resist a little bit of a smirk.

The knights grabbed their swords at the first site of the dragon. Baron Arnold looked on in surprise and awe, but was too shocked to draw his sword.

Willow walked over to Will, and he pet her nose, smiling.

"Halt... explain. Now." Arnold said, managing to make his voice stern, while his face stayed the same.

Halt raised an eye brow at the fact that Arnold was ordering him, when he only had to answer to the King. But, he was already going to tell them about it, so he just took in in a stride.

"Young Will here found her. He was walking to my house and there was an explosion. He went to see what it was and found a stone, green and brown with veins of gray webbed all around it. It was in the middle of the whole explosion site. Will had then brought it home to show it to me. We went to investigate the scene. There were no traces of any other human in the area for miles.

"A week later, Will came to me, pleading me to see this dragon. But I didn't see anything. So, I thought the boy was telling stories for a prank, or seeing things- loneliness can cause strange things.

"It was only a week ago that I met her. She and Will were the ones that caught the bandits. It was her- or rather the 'stone'- they'd been after, not knowing it was really an egg and that it had hatched.

"And then I went to you." Halt said, ending the summary. "I assure you, I was in no way keeping this a secret. The only reason you found out today, was because you happen to be free today. I couldn't risk telling you what it was in public. I'm sorry to have frightened you, but this was the only way."

Arnold stood there, looking bewildered. Then, he seemed to gain control of himself, and looked at Willow. "And... it's tame?"

"Yes." Will answered for Halt. "_She_ has been from the moment I meant her. And she's very intelligent." Will smiled at her.

"Huh... I really don't know what to make of this... Halt, I asked for you to be blunt. This is as sharp as that sax knife of yours." Arnold looked to Halt, "Do you trust it?"

"In the time I've gotten to know _her_, yes, I would trust her with my life. She is very much like the Rangers really."

"Then... I'll leave it to you and Will to look after i- uh… Her. But what will happen when she gets too big, and people start to notice. They'll come after her for sure."

"We'll deal with that when it comes." Halt said reassuringly. "It is something I have thought about too, and I don't plan for her reveal to be negative."

"Right, well good…." Arnold said.

After a few moments awkward silence- Arnold just studying Willow- he coughed into his glove.

"Well... I'm off now." Arnold said, mounting his horse, and turning it around, along with the others. The Ranger, Ranger Apprentice, and his Dragon watched the stiff backed Baron leave the small clearing.

"Well, that went well..." Will said.

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

_"Eragon!"_ Saphira said, looking out over the sea, her eyes focused on something.

"Scolblackes Ven!" Eragon said. His eyes immediately saw something different, yet similar. Everything turned blue tinted, as if he were looking through a very clear, non-rippled blue tinted widow. But what had his attention was the thickening strip of land that he could now see that they were approaching.

"Where almost there!" Eragon shouted to the others, exited.

Within two hours, they pulled ashore on a nice, white sandy beach.

_"I can feel them. They're very near."_ Glaedr said.

"Should we go on?" Eragon asked.

"I'll come with. This is a new land. We do not know its dangers." Arya said. So, with that, Arya, Eragon and Glaedr got on Saphira and took off, the others making camp and waiting for them to return.

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

Another week had pasted and Halt was taking Will out to see someone. Willow was to stay, but Will found that even at this distance, he could still contact her. So he didn't feel quite so alone. Sure, he had Halt there, but... really? The man was so silent; he might as well not be there at all.

_"I wonder where he's taking me?"_ Will asked Willow.

_"Who knows."_ Willow answered, though it sounded like she may know something. Will squinted his eyes in suspicion. She knew something... But he didn't push it. He knew her well enough. He trusted her.

Ten minutes later, they came upon an old cottage and barn. They went right up to the cottage, and Halt knocked on the door. They waited a few minutes, and when there was no sound coming from within, Halt knocked again, this time sighing.

Sighing again, Halt rolled his eyes. "He's probably in the barn." he muttered.

The two walked over to the barn and upon peering in, Will spotted a heap of ragged cloth on a thing on hay. As he watched, the middle of it began to raise and a great sound came from it, sounding oddly close to Willow when she was napping.

"Get up you old sack o' bone!" Halt yelled, surprising Will.

An old man that smelled like he belonged with the animals in the barn suddenly replaced the rags with a jump from his sleep. After getting over the initial shock, the old man looked around and saw them. The old man did indeed look like a sack of bones, with some a beard that was as tangled as an old sheep's wool.

He smiled at the site of Halt, "Well, there you are! I' been waitin' a while. What's been keepin' ya?"

"Some complications. But we're here now. Are they ready?" Halt answered, apparently eager to get right to the matter of business.

"They been ready for the past couple days. Yours was gettn' a little antsy. Seems like you been getting a bit antsy too, Halt! Hahaha!" The old man laughed, sounding like a barking dog.

"I imagine he was." Halt said, not dignifying the last part with a reply. They began walking to the barn, Halt turned back to Will, and said, "Will, this, here, is Old Bob."

"Hello, Mister Mr. Bob." Will greeted, dipping his head a little, feeling awkward.

"You hear that! He called me 'Mister'." Old Bob exclaimed, "Nice young man you have there Halt."

"Yes, very well mannered." Halt said, with a sideways glance at Will.

"So, what are we doing here, anyway?" Will asked.

"Well, why would you ask something, when you know it will be answered if you only watch?" Halt inquired.

Will just let it drop. He'd learned already it was pointless to try comebacks with Halt.

Old Bob lead them further into the barn, where they saw two horses. They weren't anything like the sleek, and glorious battle houses at Castle Redmont. In fact, they were the complete opposite. They were as short as the battle houses where tall. Their hair and coat had clumps of dirt in them and was un-kept.

Will looked at Halt, unsure. The Ranger merely looked at him then went over to the brown chestnut one. It nickered in recognition and trotted over, swinging its head happily. Halt looked down at it and whispered something in its ear. The horse's head went up and down, as if answering a question with a yes.

"Well, what do you think?" Old Bob asked.

Will looked at the other horse, which he assumed was his. The small creature looked at him with a studying eye, as if measuring him up.

"He..." What was he supposed to say? Beautiful? Hansom? Great? "I... don't know..."

"Well, at least the boys honest." Old Bob laughed. "His names Tug. One of, if not _the_, fasted horses I've ever raised." There was unmasked pride in the old horse breeders voice.

Will looked back at the house, a doubtful look on his face.

"Don't believe me, eh?"

He saw Halt go over to the gate, and opened it. Tug walked out, and looked to be waiting.

"Why don't you go and try to catch him, then." Halt said.

Will looked at the two, then at the house. He walked out of the barn and into the horses field.

He walked over to Tug, and the horse waited. Just when Will was about to grab the rains, Tug skipped back so fast, Will stumbled forward off balance. He herd Old Bob laugh, and looked at the horse. He took off after it.

For an hour, there was nothing but running at the horse, grabbing at it, and then having it prance out of reach, and then, as if mocking him, the horse would nay out, as if laughing.

Finally, Will had had enough. He saw a trough of apples and walked over to it. He grabbed one out and held it out for Tug to see. The horse looked at it and pranced forward. He happily took the apple from Will and Will snatched the rains up in his hands, triumphant. Tug gave him a look that said, "Congratulations, you've caught me."

Will looked at Halt with a smile.

"Good. Now, how about you try riding him? It's a whole other experience when your actually _feeling_ how fast they are."

Will looked at the saddle that was sitting over by the wall. He went over, now eager to ride. He saddled Tug, then got on. Halt and Old Bob waited in silence. Will felt Tug's body bunch up, then before he knew it, he was flying through the air, and hit the ground with a thud. Halt and Old Bob, well, just Old Bob started to laugh- Halt did chuckle, but it was unseen by Will.

"Gets 'em every time!" Old Bob cackled out.

"Now, what did I say about not rushing into things?" Halt said.

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

_"Look... over there."_ Saphira said, looking at a fairly big strong hold of a castle. It burned a red-ish color against the setting sun. Just beyond it there was some woods. And nestled at the edge of them, was a small cabin. In the field behind it, they saw her. Though, they could have mistaken her for a large bush in the middle of the clearing. But, since they could all sense the dragon by now, they could tell that it was her.

_"Little one..."_ Saphira called out to it. The small dragon's head popped up immediately. She looked around, then saw Saphira. Her eye's went wide._ "We have been looking for you. And your rider. Where is he?"_ Saphira asked when they landed.

_"He's not here at the moment... Who are you? What do you want?"_ the dragon asked, backing away, and preparing for a fight. She knew this was another dragon, but that didn't mean it was good. If a human could turn against a human, then the same thing went for dragons.

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

_"Will! There is someone here! And other dragon! I don't know if their good or not. Come, quickly!"_ Will herd Willow's voice. He had been dozing off after the day's events, but was now awake and alert.

He went to Halt, who was having a conversation with Old Bob. Halt looked at him, and took in the boys look of immense concern. "What is it?"

"Willow... she said there was some one there... with another dragon." Will whispered in the Rangers ear.

Halt got up immediately, said that he and Will must be off now, and they left, riding hard.

**AN: And there we go! Tug had finally come it! And, now they get to meet Eragon and coe! YAY! I'll have the next chap up as soon as possible!**


	8. Chap 8: Where is She?

Chap. 8: Where is She?

Will and Halt rushed back. While they were really going much faster now that they had their horses, Will felt like they weren't going fast enough. Unconsciously , he nudged Tug, his new mount, and the horse increased his speed.

Halt, who was now behind by a few feet, noticed this and, despite the current situation, noticed that Will was a natural as a rider. Perhaps it was all that time with Willow, riding on her back, but from what he'd heard, the two had never done so much as walking in the woods.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, as they were in a bit of a rush, he urged Abelard on after the boy.

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

Eragon looked around, frustrated. It was just there a second ago, and now they couldn't see it at all! But it was still there, somewhere. They could feel it.

_"Saphira, are you sur-"_

_"Eragon I am very sure I cannot see her. Trust me, it unnerves me as well."_

_"But how can she be hiding from you if you have the ability to see warm bodies?"_ Arya questioned.

_"I do not know. It is as if she is able to lower her body temperature to that of the surrounding temperature."_

_"Is…. Is that even possible? Glaedr?"_

_"I have heard that such a thing is possible, but very rare."_ Glaedr replied._ "It is easiest when they are still young, when they are not yet able to breathe fire. In fact, all infants have this ability, but it only lasts until the young one is old enough to have been trained how to protect itself. To have kept the ability longer than a month is very rare. "_

_"So, no matter how much we look, she will stay hidden unless she willingly shows herself."_ Saphira asked.

_"Yes. It is not a problem though. So long as we can sense her, all is well. Let her hide, and feel safe. Relax, and let her see you as not a threat."_

_"Glaedr is right."_ Saphira said._ "There is no point in looking if we can still sense her. So long as we have that, we know she has not run away."_

With that, the party settled down and started up a small camp.

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

Will and Halt finally crested over the hill where Castle Redmont appeared. Just beyond it, at the edge of the trees, they could just make out a small cabin.

Once again, Will urged Tug to go faster, and the horse complied without hesitation. Halt was quick to react.

Soon, they were at the cabin and Will was already jumping off Tug and about to rush into the woods when Halt grabbed him by the shoulder firmly and held him there.

"We must go quietly. Do not let them become alert to our presence." He told his apprentice. Will nodded and let Halt lead the way into the wood.

After ten minutes creeping through the woods to the clearing, they reached the clearing, where both Will and Halt had a hard time of hiding their gasp of surprise. They had known there would be a dragon, but they had not expected one so spectacular in size and color. Her head, if she were to be sitting up, would have reached passed the treetops. Her wings wouldn't be able to stretch out full length in the clearing. Her legs were thicker than most of the trees in the surrounding area. Talons as long as Will was in height.

"Halt….." Will said, barely getting it out.

"I know….." Halt said. Shaking himself he reminded himself that this was not the first dragon he has seen, so it should not be such a big deal to see it. He turned to Will and whispered. "I want you to find Willow, but keep quiet. I will go and greet our guest. Do not come out unless I give you a signal."

"And what will be the signal?"

Halt thought for a moment and then came to a decision. "I will be going out with an arrow knocked. Should I put the arrow away, that is the okay signal. Got it?"

Will nodded his understanding and then Halt motioned for him to get moving.

As Will crept back away from the clearing and then made to go around it, he watched from his peripherals as Halt stepped out into the clearing, bow in hand, arrow knocked and at the ready.

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

Saphira was the first to take notice.

"We have company…" Arya said, having noticed second, Eragon only a third because he had been dozing.

"It is I who should be saying that…" the stranger called, having heard Arya.

"Then I take it that is your cabin." Eragon asked.

"No, not at all. I just happen to live on that patch of grass that your dragon is sitting on." the man replied.

"You don't seem all too surprised by Saphira… Does this mean that you know of the dragon that lives in these woods." Eragon asked.

"Yes, I am well aware of her."

"Then are you her rider?" Eragon asked, now excited.

"Rider? No. I have never ridden her. In fact, I only found out about her almost a month ago."

"Then perhaps, do you know who her rider may be?" Arya said.

"And what if I do?" the stranger asked.

"Then we only ask if we may talk to them. We have come far to seek his help." Eragon asked.

"And what if he can't help? What would you do then?"

"There is another reason we have come here." Arya said. "We wish to warn him of the dangers of being a Dragon Rider- no dangers that come from the dragon, I assure you. But there are dangers. There are also many things that come with being a dragon and a rider. We wish to teach both of them these things. To have their help would be great, but we do not demand it."

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

Halt thought about their words. He could hear the honesty in them. It was also fortunate that they may want to help Will and Willow. To help them understand what they are, and how to handle themselves. They may even be able to give Willow some history on her kind- something that Halt himself was very interested in hearing, and no doubt Will would be curious about it as well.

He would not let his guard down completely- perhaps keeping it up just a bit higher than he would if he were in a pub- but he felt for now he could trust them.

He lowered the bow and replaced the arrow in the quiver.

Will saw Halt place the arrow back in the quiver and knew it was safe to come out. He had found Willow, she was just at the tree's edge of the clearing and the two walked out at Halt's signal.

**AN: SO... I am so so so so so so so so sooooooo sorry. And I'm sure that isn't even enough to keep you from hunting me down and jabbing me with rusty pitchforks. I've just had a major case of writers block for all my stories, and this one just got lucky in that I just recently re-read the series and started to get the inspiration back. I will not promise another chapter to be coming soon, because I know how unreliable my judgment is on that. I can only say that I am not going to abandon this story. It may take a year between new chapters, but I will get them to you. **

**Also, I have gone back and corrected all errors I saw in each chapter. If I have missed something, I'll get it in a year probably, so yeah... You can tell me all you want, but I probably won't get back to it before then. Maybe... We'll see.**


	9. Chap 9: Greetings

_**Chap. 9: Greetings **_

At the sound of movement, Eragon, Saphira and Arya all turned to look behind them. They had not seen anyone there before, and even glancing back every now and then, had not seen anybody. So it was a surprise as both Dragon and the possible rider appeared to materialized out of the woods. Saphira was possibly more surprised as she had not once noticed the boy at any time.

It was one thing to not be able to find the hatchling, given that she had the remarkable skill to lower her body temperature. But the boy was a human. He had the same body temperature as the first human, and never has she heard of a human being able to lower their body temperature, even if they were to put mud all over themselves- such a thing may work for small reptiles, but she was a Dragon and not to be put so low.

They all noticed though that the cloak the boy wore was similar to the first man. They seemed to cause them to blend into the background and make them become part of it.

But still... How did he manage to stay hidden from a dragon's eyes…?

"_We may well learn something from them as well, Eragon…"_ Saphira said.

"_Yes, you may be right…"_ Eragon replied back in awe.

"Are you the rider?" Arya asked outright.

**~~~~O~X~O~~~~**

Will took the time to study the group in front of him as he walked and he had noticed some very interesting things about them.

Firstly, the women had an astonishing appearance; slim and tall, long, flowing and slightly windblown black hair, high cheek bones, dark forest green eyes, soft pink lips, and he was very sure that she had very abnormally pointed ears. She carried herself in a way that made him see her as a warrior. As if she was used to the battle field, and possibly even a leader in it. She also had a look in her eyes that spoke of great wisdom for someone so young. He also noticed the bow and quiver of arrows she carried. He had the feeling she was as adapt at the bow and arrows as the Rangers were.

If pitted against this woman, he feared what she could do.

The boy was shorter, but still tall, light muscle build; he was a bit on the stalky side. He too had pointed ears, but not as extreme as the woman's, though certainly enough to be abnormal. Dirty blonde hair- slightly longer than Will's- blue eyes, slightly tanned, and had a bit of stubble. It was hard to define if he were boy or man. He did appear to be battle hardened, but he still looked innocent. He looked wiser than his age should be, but not in the way that the woman did. More like it was something put on him too quickly and he was forced to accept it. His weapon appeared to be an overly decorative- though astonishingly beautiful- sword, and he had his doubts about it- it looked more like the sword a knight had for show, not something that was actually useful.

He felt he could possibly handle him, if it were just the two of them.

The Dragon was simply amazing. She held herself with pride, and looked wise, cunning, and dangerous, and then she was just magnificent in her beauty. Her sapphire blue scales sparkled in the sun light and dazzled the eyes. He knew she would be a formidable foe, and truly hoped their intentions of being here were as they said, forget what the other two might be able to do.

"Are you the rider?" the woman asked.

At the women's question he came back to himself.

He had ridden on Willow before, but somehow he felt that just riding on the dragon does not entitle one a dragon rider.

"What exactly makes a rider a rider?" Will asked, though he had a feeling that he may know already. The mark on his palm burned slightly upon this thought.

"The rider is the one that was chosen by the Dragon." The woman said.

"_Well, I kind of figured that….."_ Will said to Willow. She gave a small laugh in his mind.

"Perhaps this may help…." The boy said. "Do you have this mark?"

He held up his palm and on it was an identical mark to that of Will's.

Despite himself, it surprised Will to see someone else with the mark, so identical to his own.

"Y… Yes, I do…" Will said. In answer, Will unwrapped the cloth from his hand and showed his own mark.

The boy seemed to exhale with relief.

"We've found him…."

"Then… Do you wish to learn-"

"Wait, wait, wait…." Will said, interrupting the woman. "Sorry, but I- _we_- still don't even know who you are exactly…"

"Yes I was rather wondering this myself…"

Halt had come around to stand by Will. Will was surprised, as he had not noticed his teacher's movements, though the surprise faded for him rather quickly- he was used to Halt's sudden appearances. Others were not so quick to accept it as he had. It appeared that the two human strangers had not noticed as well, though the dragon's had noticed.

He had stayed silent until now, letting his apprentice talk and assess things on his own. He had to admit that he was rather impressed that the boy had handled himself exceptionally well. Even if he had not done much in the way of talking, Halt had taken notice of the boy sizing the strangers up.

But now, Halt made himself known and stepped forward.

"Our greatest apologies. We got ahead of ourselves." The boy said. "I am known as Eragon Shadeslayer, Rider of Saphira the Dragon." At this, the boy- Eragon- indicated the great blue dragon.

"I am known as Arya Shadeslayer, daughter of Islanzadi, Queen of Elves."

"E-elves?!" Will exclaimed. Sure, he had seen the ears, and had the thought of an elf, but he had thought it was a deformity, though, Eragon did have slightly pointed ears as well. Was he an "elf" too?

"Yes. They must not exist in this land…" Eragon said. "At least not openly…?"

"No, they do not exist here. If they did, then they would not be pure elves anymore, possibly even called invalids in this land." Arya said. "However, this is a discussion for another time. For now, I do believe there is time someone had his right to announce himself."

Will, Willow, and Halt looked around cautiously. They had not seen any other body present. Willow had been feeling another presence though, ever since the strangers had arrived.

"_Hello, my Hatchling…"_ a voice spoke in their minds. It was deep and growling, though held warmth to it, as well as great sorrow._ "My name is Glaedr."_

* * *

**AN: So sorry guys for a short chap. But, well… better a short chap. than a long wait- possibly a year or more- to the next chap., right?**** ^_^; *****sweat drop***

**So, I'm already working on the next chap., but again, no promises to get it up soon. I might try to make it a longer chap. because there is a lot of talking, and I don't want it to just be talking- gotta try and have some actions going on; can't have you thinking they're just standing in the clearing all that time, right?**

**Well, wish me luck! You guys are the reason I write, and I thank you all for encouraging me. I don't think I'd have continued this after three chaps. if not for the positive feedback. **

**And a note to those that want to point out all my errors, please know that I do tend to come back every now and then to re-check everything and make sure it's all right. It might take a while, but I'll get to it.**

**All you need to say is that there were some errors. **

**I already know that there are some that I missed in my last check, but whether or not I go back to fix it soon or not depends on a lot of things, like, do I even have the time? I'm a senior and about to go to college. There is much to be done just in my own reality. Also, I take writing the next chap.- for this story or any others- more important than making sure it's perfect, least I lose the idea's and then won't update for that much longer.  
**

**Like I said, I write this for you. Yes, it is a bit of an escape for me, but it is my avid readers that make me continue a story. So when I have someone yell at me for writing error upon error, it tends to dim my spirit. If you don't like it, don't read it. **

**If you think the plot is interesting and would like to keep reading, don't say that there were so many errors that you almost gave up. Because you know what? If the plot was so good that you dealt with the errors, than it is apparently not that bad, and in that case, you would want to encourage me. Tell me I have errors, but don't point out _all_ of them. About the only thing I might stand for is if you corrected me on names. **

**If you did read all of this, than I'm sorry for the bit of a rant, but I wished to make it clear that that is part of the reason I get writer's block so often- I lose spirit in the writing.**

**Thank you, my readers, and again, please wish me luck! ****^_^**


	10. Chap 10: The Talk

_**Chap. 10: The Talk**_

"_Long have I waited to see you, though I had imagined I'd have a body then…"_

"Who… Who was that…? Where are they?" Will asked, still looking around.

Halt too was a bit unnerved.

He knew that Will and Willow could speak with the mind, but he had not yet heard Willow speak to him, always having to rely on Will to pass on any messages. It was one thing to have a voice enter his mind at all coming from another body, but this one appeared to have _no_ body. It was rather unnerving. It made him almost believe he'd gone crazy.

He did not show it though. He knew he was not crazy- or at least he knew he was sane. The fact that Will had also heard it too proved as much.

Though, the boy seemed as unnerved as Halt, and it was Will that almost always had a presence in his mind, a presence that was Willow. Perhaps he too was familiar with there being a body that the voice comes from as well?

In fact, that was exactly it. Will found it very odd to have another voice in his head that was not Willow's, but it was much weirder with there not being a body.

He would have suspected that it might have been the dragon standing before them, but it could not be. The voice was masculine, and it was been stated that Saphira was a female.

"I am Glaedr. I was a dragon, and now I am just a mere remnant of one." The voice spoke.

"Glaedr, you're not a remnant-"

"Eragon, I am. I no longer have a true body. I am but a stone with a conscience. The only thing that remains of my former body."

Eragon sighed, but did not argue further.

"Now… Hatchling… What is it I may call you by?"

"My name, Dragon Glaedr, is Willow." Willow answered.

"And may I know the name of your rider?" the voice said, and Will felt that it was addressed to him.

"My name is Will…." He answered out loud, because it felt weird not being able to direct the question at something.

"And am I to assume that the cowl man… are you the boy's father?" Arya asked.

This caught Will totally off guard and he almost stumbled back. Halt, his father?! No way. Will did admit he wanted to prove himself to the old Ranger, but not once had he seen Halt as a father figure. He couldn't imagine what his life might have been like if he'd grown up under the care of Halt. It sent a shiver down his spine.

Halt too found this surprising, but he took it in stride- it wasn't the most extreme thing that had surprised him today, or of late really. It was also a reasonable assumption, something part of him just suspected others to think if they were anywhere but Redmont.

"No, I am his mentor." The ranger said. He pushed back his cowl.

"Brom?!" Eragon said in a high whisper.

Halt looked at the Eragon boy, at the stricken expression on his face. It was obvious he held a remarkable resemblance to this Brom fellow.

"No… I am known as Halt." After he said this, the boy seemed to realize the truth of it, and it looked like it pained him to do so.

"Sorry. You bare a resemblance to a very close friend of mine…" Eragon said.

There was silence for a few minutes. Then Will piped up.

"Um… Halt, could we maybe retire into the cabin? It's getting a bit cold out here….?" It wasn't really that cold yet, but Will thought that it would be more comfortable indoors, and perhaps might take a bit of the heavy atmosphere away.

"You're right." Halt said after some thinking. He felt sure that the people were trustworthy and didn't find any harm in letting them into his home. Though, the dragons could not accompany of course- even Willow was much too big to fit into the door anymore.

* * *

"So, what you're saying is that your country is under the rain of an evil man by the name Galbatorix, who is also a dragon rider? And that you hope that Will will help you in your battle against him…?" Halt said, after Arya explained to them what their purpose of being here was.

"Yes, but again, we will not force it. We would like to train him though." Eragon said. "There are many things that come with being a Dragon Rider, things that may seem great and wonderful, but can carry a heavy price."

"I would say it is up to the boy if he wants to risk his life for you. But As for the training, I too think it would be in his best interest- not just for him, but for other people too."

Will nodded, as he was thinking along the same lines. Except for the risking his life part. Never had he imagined that Halt would leave such a decision to him. He wasn't all too sure if he'd be willing. After all, he was no warrior. The Battle Master made that quite clear. But there was also the fact that this was another country entirely. It'd be one thing if the country were close to Araluen** (1)**, and it was possible that the danger there could spread to here. Then it would have been acceptable to fight, because it would be doing so in order to help his country.

But from what Will had heard, Alagaesia was almost half way across the world.

But there was another point to consider…

That country was where Willow had come from. Where she had lived- in an egg, true, but lived nonetheless- for much longer than she had lived here. According to their story, dragon's had been thought to be extinct for more than 20 years, until Saphira had hatched for Eragon. She would have been eligible to give birth to an egg, but she had never even mated. They were quite sure that there were no other dragons aside from the four that they knew of now.

Saphira was the first dragon to have hatched in all those long years, but there had been two other dragon's that were still alive since this other battle that wiped the dragon's out. The first was Glaedr, who had been kept in hiding with his Rider in the land of the elves, as he too was an elf. The second was the dragon the king had.

Then there was the fourth dragon, Thorn, the dragon of a once friend, turned enemy of Eragon.

Saphira was the first female dragon though, and never mated. So Willow's egg had been laid at least 20 years ago.

It boggled his mind that an egg could wait so long to hatch. Dragons were truly amazing.

Which brought to mind something else for Will.

"So if Willow was not conceived recently… then by who…?" he asked. Silence fell over the room.

"She should be finding out the story of her linage right now actually…" Arya said, looking in the direction of the clearing.

The dragon's had stayed there to talk since they could not fit in the cabin, and Saphira could not fit in between the trees without clearing a path. They could still talk with the others, but had only done so on some occasions to clarify things. Other than that, they had stayed to themselves.

"It would be best if Willow told you herself, as it is not our business to say."

"So, I must ask, you both wear the same cloak and carry the same weapon, and I know now that it is because you're are teacher and apprentice, but what exactly are you teaching?" Eragon asked.

Halt had known they might ask at some point and had decided that he would tell them- they had told them their story, after all.

"We are known as Rangers. Spy's if you want to dumb it down. There is one in every fief in our land, and it is our job to keep tabs on the people within that fief."

"So… do you possess any magic? You're apprentice just seemed to have appeared. I've never seen a Dragon Rider with that ability."

Will smirked, as this was a common belief among many in Araluen. To think that people like these two would think so too was amusing. Halt too found it funny, but as usual, was able to keep his face blank.

"No, we possess no magic at all. Actually, I don't believe in magic… Or I used to not believe in it." Halt said. "It is just simply our skill in the craft. We need such skills to do our job, after all."

Arya nodded, though no emotion was on her face, while Eragon just looked in awe at the skills of two humans.

This thought brought to Will another question that had bothered him. "So… I know that elves are real now, but I have to ask… Eragon are you an elf…?"

This brought an odd look to Eragon's face, a look that was almost troubled, but at the same time, acceptance.

"No, I'm not an elf, or at least, was not born one." Eragon said.

"So…. you were turned into one…?"

"No, it's not that either. I'm still not an elf. It's more that I'm taking on the appearance of one."

"Why…?" Will asked.

"It is one of the many things about being a Dragon Rider." Arya said. She knew this brought Eragon a bit of pain, as he was uncomfortable with how he could change so much.

"So… this will happen to me too…?" Will asked.

"Yes. No one knows why exactly, but it has always happened to every Rider- except for Elves, of course." Arya said.

Will nodded, trying to imagine himself looking like an elf.

The rest of the night, Eragon and Arya- with Saphira and Glaedr at times- spent the time talking about different people that had helped them. Will was surprised to find out that Dwarves existed. It made him question silently if fairies, unicorns and many other mythical creatures existed as well.

After five hours of talking, everyone was tired and gone to bed. Will and Halt had their rooms, and had offered for Eragon and Arya to take Will's room while he slept on the floor in Halts room, but the two had declined and took to the clearing. Willow had come back to the window of Will's room and curled up under it, as she did every night now.

That night, Will dreamed of many things. Souring high above the battle field. Fighting other Dragons and their riders. Dreaming of a city of elves, and a city of dwarves.

By morning he could remember nothing of his dreams.

**AN: Woot, didn't take me that long this time. ****^_^ ****And let's get another Woot, we're finally on double digits!**

**Hope to have the next chap. up soon as this one was. Wish me luck!**

**(1) Also, I would like to apologize, I've not fixed all the misspelled Araluen's as for some reason, I kept seeing it as Aleran. I know, you guys kept tryig to correct it, but as I did in the books, I saw it as Aleran. Don't know why, just my mind must have gotten stuck on that. I now know because my sister corrected me. Again, very sorry, and next time I fix errors, it will be fixed.**


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